


Scene in a Hat #2 Haikyuu

by fandoms_consume_my_life



Series: Scenes in a Hat [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Angst, Angst without a happy ending, Blood, Careers (Hunger Games), Gore, Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, I'm Sorry, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Minor Character Death, major descriptions of violence, minor character injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:48:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23879428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandoms_consume_my_life/pseuds/fandoms_consume_my_life
Summary: Scenes in a Hat is where I pull two random straws with an AU accompanied by either a ship or a fandom. I pulled two straws at random and got Haikyuu with Hunger Games AU.Just a scene (or a couple I guess because it got long) following Iwaizumi through the Hunger Games.
Series: Scenes in a Hat [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1407784
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Scene in a Hat #2 Haikyuu

Iwaizumi looked up into the sky and at the stars blinking down on him. It gave him a sense that there was something out there, watching him. Protecting him, maybe, but that seemed very unlikely. He wanted to believe that it was a sign that everything was going to be okay. Too bad they were fake.

He shifted into a comfortable position on his back, waiting for the nightly messages. Suddenly, the Panem anthem started to play and he fixed his eyes on the spot where the messages had appeared the previous day.

Two deaths. Mai Nametsu from District 3 and Akane Yamamoto.

He wondered how Nametsu had died. Maybe the Careers would act rashly. He hoped so. The less Careers in the Game, the better.

The music died and the message faded from the sky and the sounds of insects returned to the forest.

"Akane, huh." A voice said next to him, startling him.

He turned to look at Yaku, who was lying next to him, still staring up at the sky. Iwaizumi didn't know how he was able to be so relaxed next to him, especially since he had tried to kill him earlier that day.

Yaku closed his eyes and shook his head. "She was so young. It's not fair to have young people in the Games. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah." Iwaizumi said, sitting up and leaning against the cave wall. He didn't want to think about the death of the other people in the arena, not yet anyway. He especially didn't want to think about Akane, who was the same age as one of his sisters. "I'll take first watch." He said, taking the spear that Yaku had when they met.

Yaku nodded. "Wake me up in a couple hours." He wrapped himself comfortably in their one sleeping bag and turned his back to Iwaizumi, falling asleep almost instantly.

Iwaizumi watched his back, holding the weapon that wasn't his. How was Yaku able to trust him so easily? They hadn't talked the days prior to the Game and the only interaction they had was when Iwaizumi had tried to slit his throat that morning.

He wondered why he hesitated. What was stopping him from slitting his throat now? But watching Yaku's back reminded him too much of his brothers and sisters back home, cuddled together, trying to find warmth in the harsh winter. Yaku might've been older than his siblings, but he was around the same size. Iwaizumi wouldn't tell him that, of course, but he felt a need to protect him. He justified it by telling himself that it would be better to sleep in shifts. He hadn't gotten good sleep since entering the arena and he felt grateful that he would be able to finally rest.

How many days has it been? Two? Five? He counted on his fingers how many times he had to climb a tree and set up his sleeping bag. Four. Four days.

He counted how many people were dead. Six in the Bloodbath. One later the same day. One the next day. None the next day. And two. Ten. That meant there were 14 tributes left. 12 against him.

He forced himself to steady his breathing. He wasn't supposed to be chosen. But then, no one else was. This was all unfair. To everyone involved. But especially him. He was the oldest in the family, his parents long dead. He had four siblings to take care of. He had to take care of them. He couldn't die here.

But then again, if any of his siblings were reaped, he would take their spot in a heartbeat. He was lucky. He was the most likely to survive. And all those years swinging axes made him strong.

He nodded, telling his mind to shut up. He had to strategize. It didn't look that way from watching, but being smart was a big key to the victors.

They were near a river. That was good. That meant they had water. Iwaizumi had been following the river since the first day so he knew that if he went downstream, it would lead to the Cornucopia. The river went straight into the forest that was next to the Cornucopia before curving to the left. If he had to get to the Cornucopia quickly, he could probably go perpendicular to the river, but he wasn't sure if there was another water source.

Since he was heading upstream, it also meant he was gaining elevation. If he kept going, he would probably reach the top, and he wasn't sure what would happen when he reached the top. Would it slope back down? Or would there be a cliff?

And he wasn't sure what the rest of the arena looked like. All he saw at the beginning was the forest, which he ran into, and what looked like grasslands on the other side. His specialty was trees, so he chose the forest, cutting through the middle and grabbing a knife and backpack from the Cornucopia before making his escape. 

Maybe the river ended in the grasslands.

He furrowed his eyebrows. He really didn't want to leave the forest if he didn't have to. Maybe he could go to the top of whatever hill he was climbing and set up camp there. He  _ would _ have the higher ground.

But between the two of them, the only weapons they had were a spear and a knife. He wouldn't be able to defend both of them if they were ambushed. Especially by the Careers.

Then maybe they would go back downstream. There was a small pond that he had passed, and maybe there would be less tributes there than wherever the source of water was.

His mind wandered to the Careers, probably his biggest threat in the game. There were seven of them, from what Iwaizumi saw. The male from District 1, the siblings from District 2, the two from District 3, and the two from District 4. They had formed a pack ever since training began, and Iwaizumi knew that the people from those districts tended to band together. One was dead, Nametsu from District 3. That left six. Unless someone else joined them. He hoped not. He really hoped that the male from District 11 wasn't there. He couldn't recall the name, but he remembered how muscular he was. If he got into a fight with him, he would lose for sure. He hoped the Careers would finish him off before they ever met.

Yaku shifted in his sleep, startling Iwaizumi out of his thoughts. Iwaizumi looked up at the sky through the hole in their shelter. It had probably been a couple of hours, more probably. He gently shook Yaku awake.

"Huh?" Yaku mumbled, rolling over and opening his eyes.

"Your shift." Iwaizumi explained. "I made our plan for tomorrow."

"Okay." Yaku said, getting out of the sleeping bag and handing it to Iwaizumi. "I'll wake you up when the sun rises.

Iwaizumi nodded, taking the sleeping bag and giving Yaku the spear. "Wake me up if something happens."

He got into the sleeping bag and after some consideration, took his knife and slipped it in with him, making sure the cover was on so he didn't cut himself. Better than nothing.

He watched Yaku as he fiddled with the spear and fell asleep.

  
  


"Iwaizumi!"

Iwaizumi woke up with a start. Yaku was shaking his shoulder, a terrified expression on his face.

"What?" Iwaizumi whispered, taking out his knife.

"I heard a sound." Yaku whispered back. "Like something fell from a tree. Then I heard some rustling."

Iwaizumi paused, holding an ear up to the hole in the cave. He didn't hear anything except the sounds of the forest waking up. The sun was beginning to rise.

He turned back to Yaku. "Whatever it was, it's probably gone now. We should get going though."

Yaku nodded.

Iwaizumi started packing the sleeping bag into his backpack. When he was done, Yaku handed him some fish.

Iwaizumi thanked him and they quickly ate their fish. Once they were done, they left the cave.

"Where did the noise come from?" Iwaizumi asked, looking around to try and find some sort of clue that would tell him that someone was there.

"There." Yaku pointed at a tree that was a little away from the cave.

They approached the tree.

"You're good with that spear, right?" Iwaizumi asked.

"Yeah." Yaku said. "I trained with this."

Iwaizumi nodded and readied his knife.

There was nothing on the floor, so it proved that there was something there that had moved. He hoped it was some kind of animal. He squatted by the base of the tree and searched for something that would help him identify what it was.

He shivered as he found a footprint. It was from a boot, and there was no mistaking it. There were a couple more that lead away from the cave and deeper into the forest.

"Someone was here." Iwaizumi said. "They went that way." He pointed into the forest.

"Are they gone?" Yaku asked, clutching the spear.

"Probably."

"Is that where we're going?"

Iwaizumi looked back at the river. "No. We're going that way." He pointed downstream.

"Okay." Yaku sighed, relieved.

They headed to the river and started their journey downstream. Iwaizumi wondered who was at the tree. They must've known that Iwaizumi and Yaku were there, since they ran when they made noise. And it only seemed like there was one person, so it wasn't a Career. Was someone stalking them? The thought made him shudder. He hoped whoever it was wouldn't be able to track them.

A sudden, gurgling sound behind made him whirl around. His eyes widened and he gasped as he saw Yaku, falling to his knees and spitting blood with an axe embedded in his side. Standing behind him was Kaori Suzumeda, also from District 7. She grinned at Iwaizumi as she dislodged the axe from Yaku. He slumped forward and remained still in the grass.

"Yaku!" Iwaizumi called out, stepping forward.

Kaori held the axe out in front of her menacingly. Her grin widened. Iwaizumi realized that all he had was his knife. The axe had a farther reach and was more powerful. If he wanted to hit her, he would have to weave through his movements. He stopped. The canon hadn't sounded, meaning that Yaku was still alive. He still had time.

"Why are you doing this?" He called out to her. "We're in the same district."

"Who cares? Only one person can come out of here alive." She snarled. "I don't care who I have to kill, I'm going to win." She peered down at Yaku, her stance remaining the same. "You knew that when pairing up with this pipsqueak. You were probably just waiting to kill him, weren't you?"

Iwaizumi felt his blood boil. Sure, he had tried to kill Yaku when they first met, but there was something stopping him. He couldn't kill him, but he didn't want him to die. He didn't like thinking about it.

He took a step towards her, close enough for her axe to hit him. She swung from the right, just like he was expecting. He ducked and rushed to her, keeping towards the ground. He swung at her, but she jumped away. He still managed to cut her arm, although it was her non-dominant arm.

She hissed. "I didn't take you for the stealthy type."

She swung again, this time at a lower angle. Iwaizumi realized too late that he was too close. He jumped backwards, but his foot caught something and he fell. There was a pain in his leg and he saw that the axe had cut him. It wasn't enough to cut his leg off, but he was sure that he wouldn't be able to walk.

"Hm." Kaori said, looking down at him with a grin. "You should've ran when you had the chance."

She raised the axe over her head, ready to swing. Iwaizumi rolled as the blade swung into the ground where he was. At the same time, he threw the knife, which embedded into her left shoulder. She fell onto her knees, screaming out in pain.

Iwaizumi rolled again, trying to open the distance between them. He looked at Yaku. The canon hadn't sounded yet. He crawled to where Yaku was lying. Something grabbed his leg and pulled him back. He looked back to see Kaori dragging him towards her. Once he was close enough, she crouched over him, knife in hand. Blood was pouring from her open wound, but she stayed fixated on his face.

"You bitch." She hissed. "I'll make sure to kill your little friend there as slowly as I can. I would've had you watch, but you're too much of a nuisance." She raised the knife over his heart. "Now die."

Iwaizumi closed his eyes, trying to will himself to black out. Kaori's knee was digging into the wound on his leg and he concentrated on the pain. He let out a breath, possibly his last. He saw the faces of his siblings, of Yaku, flash behind his eyelids.

He had failed.

A sudden weight on top of him startled his eyes open. Kaori was laying on top of him, a spear sticking through her neck. The knife was lying beside Iwaizumi's head, kicked from her hand. A canon sounded.

"Yaku?" Iwaizumi asked, pushing her off of him.

The person standing there was not Yaku. Iwaizumi's mind was too muddled to recognize who it was. They made eye contact and the boy stepped back, looking from Iwaizumi to Yaku, who was still behind him.

Iwaizumi whirled around. The canon. It could've been for Kaori, but it could've been for Yaku too. He scrambled to his feet and hopped to his side on one leg. He dropped next to him, ignoring the pain. He pulled Yaku onto his lap, holding his head.

"Yaku?"

Yaku's eyelids fluttered open. His mouth twitched as if he was going to speak, but no words came out. Iwaizumi studied the wound. It wasn't as bad as he first thought, but he knew that Yaku wasn't going to survive. Not in their circumstances. The axe had hit higher, probably because Kaori had overestimated how tall he was. It had hit around his ribs, but the blood coming out of his mouth told Iwaizumi that his lung must've been hit. The wound itself was gushing blood.

"I'm so sorry." Iwaizumi whispered, hugging Yaku to his chest. "I- You-" He looked down at Yaku. There were tears in his eyes. "I never wanted you dead. You remind me too much of my siblings."

Yaku's eyes closed. His mouth stretched into a small smile. Iwaizumi wished he could understand what Yaku meant.

A canon sounded. It seemed to echo throughout the forest. Iwaizumi held Yaku closer to him. He didn't want to let go, but he knew that he would have to eventually.

A thud from behind him made him remember the person who had killed Kaori. He gently placed Yaku on the ground, leaving a piece of fish as an offering in his front pocket and taking the rest for himself. He crawled some paces away and stood up, leaning against the tree, waiting for the hovercraft to take his body. He watched as it picked him up and flew away.

The sound returned to the forest.

Iwaizumi whirled to the mystery boy, who was sitting in the grass, head held low. "Who are you?

The boy looked up. Dark brown eyes met grey.

"I'm from District 10. Toru Oikawa."

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes as Oikawa stood up. "Were you the one following us?"

"Yeah." Oikawa said sheepishly. "I didn't want to show myself, but you were in trouble."

"So you saw me in trouble, but you didn't help Yaku?" Iwaizumi was starting to get mad. The adrenaline from his fight was still rushing through him. He took a step forward, but stumbled as pain shot up his leg.

Oikawa lowered his eyes. "I-It was already too late. I ran off this morning because I dropped something from my tree and when I found you guys he was already-" He looked at where Yaku had been. "I'm sorry." He whispered, though it was loud enough for Iwaizumi to hear.

"Why didn't you just let me die?" Iwaizumi asked, returning to leaning against the tree.

Oikawa remained still. "I didn't want to." He pouted. "I'm not so confident that I can survive. I know that there's people out there who want to avoid you because you're so-" He thought for a moment. "-muscular."

"What!?"

Oikawa shook his head rapidly. "Uh- Nothing."

Iwaizumi sat against the tree. He watched as Oikawa picked up the spear and the knife from the floor. He looked at the knife, considering for a moment, then picked it up. He slowly approached Iwaizumi. He sat near the tree and dropped the weapons by Iwaizumi's feet. Iwaizumi watched the whole time, curious. He accepted the weapons and put the knife in his belt.

Oikawa held out a backpack. "This was hers."

Iwaizumi accepted it. He looked through and found more food and water. At least he didn't have to hunt. And maybe he would be able to get to the Cornucopia without following the river and still have enough. There was another knife in her backpack, which he took out and put into his belt.

He looked up at Oikawa, who was still sitting there. "Did you want something?"

"Can I join you?"

Iwaizumi thought for a moment. It had been nice having someone watch his back. But apparently, Oikawa had been watching his back for the whole game. If he had wanted to kill Iwaizumi, he would've done it a long time ago.

He sighed. "Even if I say no you're just going to follow me, aren't you."

Oikawa smiled. "Of course."

Iwaizumi squinted at him. "And how do you know I'm not going to kill you?"

"Because I told you I've been following you and you didn't immediately stab me."

Iwaizumi shrugged. "Fair enough." He looked around to see if there was something else that was worth grabbing. His eyes landed on the axe. "Give me the axe."

"Are you sure?" Oikawa asked.

Iwaizumi nodded. "I'm from District 7 too. I know how to handle an axe."

Oikawa nodded and stood up to get it. He came back and sat back down, handing Iwaizumi the axe.

He accepted it. "Do you have any weapons?" He asked Oikawa.

Oikawa took out two throwing knives. "I can't use these, but they're a weapon. I didn't go to the Cornucopia."

Iwaizumi looked at the backpack on Oikawa's back. "And where did you get that?"

Oikawa shrugged. "I stole it. That's the only thing I'm good at."

Iwaizumi nodded. "It's a good skill to have. Hard to kill someone you can't find."

"But it won't help me kill someone."

"You killed her." Iwaizumi said, holding up the axe.

Oikawa looked at the ground. "I didn't want to." He murmured.

Iwaizumi looked at him questioningly, but decided to ignore it. "We have to get going."

"How?" Oikawa asked, looking at Iwaizumi's leg. "You can't walk."

Iwaizumi grunted. It was true. The wound on his leg wasn't deep, but it was going to take some time until he was able to walk again. "The cave."

"Huh?"

"The cave we were in. We can hold up there until I can walk again."

Oikawa's head snapped in the direction of the cave. He thought a moment before nodding. "We can get there before the end of the day. But we can't run into anyone."

Iwaizumi looked into Kaori's backpack again. There was an extra jacket, which Iwaizumi took out and cut a sleeve off with his knife. He wrapped it around his wound. He used the tree and Oikawa for support as he stood up.

"Lean on me, I've got you." Oikawa reassured. 

Iwaizumi leaned on his shoulder, surprised at how strong Oikawa was. They slowly made their way back to the cave. They reached the cave as the sun started to set.

"Wait a second." Oikawa said, grabbing all the backpacks and going into the cave.

Iwaizumi waited until Oikawa came back out. "Okay."

Oikawa guided Iwaizumi into the cave. Two sleeping bags were laid out in the cave. One was open, which Iwaizumi was placed on. 

"Eat something and drink some water." Oikawa said as he left the cave with one of the knives.

Iwaizumi dug into his pack and pulled out a strip of dried fish. It reminded him of Yaku, waiting at the edge of a river. He had squatted, perched on a rock, waiting for a fish to come by. Iwaizumi had waited across the river, watching for any other tribute. Suddenly, Yaku had plunged the spear into the water and when he pulled it back, there was a fish flopping at the end of it. Yaku had run to Iwaizumi, a proud grin on his face. Yaku had taught him how to dry the fish to let it last. As they ate, he had asked Yaku why he knew how to hunt fish. He was from District 8.

_ We didn't have enough money to buy food, but there was a river nearby. I would go out and fish to feed my family. _

Iwaizumi had nodded, understanding working in order to provide for his family. He never had asked Yaku who was left in his family. He had complemented Yaku on his skills with the spear and they had gone to sleep.

Oikawa came back into the tent, forcing Iwaizumi out of his thoughts. The entrance to their cave was covered with rocks and leaves. "If we're going to stay here for a while, I thought we should just cover ourselves as much as possible." He sat on his sleeping bag and dug through his bag. Iwaizumi squinted through the darkness. Oikawa pulled out a small box.

He sat next to Iwaizumi. "I've got a first aid kit. I can't see too well, but I know what to do."

Iwaizumi nodded and untied the jacket sleeve from around his leg. Oikawa leant closer, inspecting the wound. He poured water on the wound and then started to treat it. Iwaizumi watched, grimacing at the pain. Oikawa finally wrapped it back.

"That should be good enough for today. I'll be able to treat it better when there's light. You should go to sleep."

Iwaizumi frowned, but nodded. He was thankful that he would be able to get his wound treated. He didn't have a first aid kit in his backpack. He crawled into his sleeping bag and fell asleep almost immediately.

He woke to Oikawa gently shaking his shoulder. Iwaizumi opened his eyes and saw light streaming through certain cracks in the cave.

"Is it morning?" He mumbled.

"Yeah." Oikawa said, handing him more fish and a water bottle.

Iwaizumi ate. His mind started to clear. "You didn't wake me?"

"I need you to rest." Oikawa responded. "And besides, we're not going to move. I can sleep in the afternoon. You need rest."

Iwaizumi frowned, but Oikawa was right. He felt much better than the day before. Oikawa looked at the wound again, and after treating it, announced that he was going to get more food.

The sun was starting to set when Oikawa came back. Iwaizumi refused to acknowledge that he was worried. Oikawa had caught and cooked two fish, which he had dried. It was similar to how Yaku had made it.

Oikawa had slept for a few hours as Iwaizumi watched the entrance of the cave. The sun set as Iwaizumi thought.

Everything that had happened completely destroyed his plans. He knew that the pond was still a good goal, but he also knew that things needed to change or the gamemakers would get bored. He hoped the fight that resulted in two deaths was enough for him and Oikawa to get rested before the head out. But now the pond felt too far. He drew out the arena in his head. He was pretty sure with how much the river had bent, the pond was nearly on the other side of the arena. Now with his bad leg, they would be slower and have to take constant breaks. There was no way the gamemakers would be happy with them walking. He hoped other tributes would kill each other.

He looked up at the sky and realized that he had missed Yaku's death announcement. He was glad, but he also felt bad. As he watched the sky, he also saw a small container fall down with a small parachute attached. He gasped as he realized what it was.

He shook Oikawa awake. "Huh?" Oikawa mumbled.

"There's a sponsor gift."

Oikawa scrambled out of the cave and came back with a small metal container. He handed it to Iwaizumi, who opened it. Inside was a small necklace. There was a small pendant that had an M carved into it.

_ 'Are you okay?' _

_ Yaku looked at Iwaizumi. 'Huh?' _

_ 'You keep grabbing your neck. Does it hurt?' Iwaizumi asked, worried. _

_ "Ah." Yaku looked away shyly. "No." _

_ Iwaizumi looked at him puzzled, but didn't ask.  _

_ They continued walking upstream in silence, Iwaizumi wondering why Yaku kept grabbing at his neck. _

_ 'It's a family gift.' _

_ 'Huh?' _

_ 'I had a necklace. It was the last gift my mom gave me before she died. I wore it all the time but I gave it to my brother before I came here.' _

_ Iwaizumi stopped. 'You can wear something in here though.' _

_ Yaku looked at his feet. 'I know, but I wanted my family to hold onto it. You know, in case I-' _

He had never said it, but Iwaizumi knew. And he knew exactly what was in his hand. He looked up at the sky, a tear falling down his face.

"Thank you." He said.

Oikawa looked at the necklace in his hand. He looked like he wanted to ask questions, but he kept quiet. He probably knew who it was from.

Iwaizumi put the necklace on. He traced the M.

_ 'Morisuke.' _

_ Iwaizumi turned. 'What?' _

_ 'That's my first name. Why do you call me Yaku?' _

_ Iwaizumi didn't want to say it was because he didn't want to grow attached. 'It's easier to say.' _

_ Yaku nodded. 'I guess…' _

"You should sleep."

Iwaizumi nodded. He curled up into himself and slept. He tried to blot out the world, blot out the Games. He wished Yaku was there, but he knew that the end of the Games were the worst. If the tributes weren't starving or dying of thirst, they were at each other's throats. Maybe Morisuke leaving before that was better.

Another day went by before Iwaizumi was able to walk again. Walk was a strong word, more like hobble. They packed up their stuff and left the cave, following the river. It was when it grew dark when the announcement sounded.

"THERE WILL BE A FEAST OCCURING AT THE CORNUCOPIA. THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL BACKPACK FOR EACH TRIBUTE WITH A SPECIAL ITEM INSIDE. THE FEAST WILL BE HELD TOMORROW."

Oikawa and Iwaizumi looked at each other.

"We should go." Oikawa said. "I can sneak in and grab our stuff."

Iwaizumi had to agree, but he didn't want Oikawa risking his life. He was also sure that they may be able to pick off a few tributes towards the end and maybe take some stuff. It was the best chance they had. But he wasn't sure if they could make it in time.

"If we rest now, we'll have enough energy to make it." Oikawa said, seemingly reading his mind. "And we want to be there towards the end."

Iwaizumi nodded and they set about building a small shelter. It was cramped, but it fit the two of them. Oikawa was asleep first, which made time for Iwaizumi to prepare for the next day. He split the food and water bottles into two backpacks. He rolled the extra backpack into his pack. He gave Oikawa the spear, two throwing knives, and one of his knives and Iwaizumi got the axe and the remaining knife. They had a bundle of rope and the remnants of the jacket, which he put in his pack and put the first aid kit into Oikawa's. He spent the remainder of his watch staring out the opening to their shelter, tracing the M on the necklace.

He woke Oikawa and went to sleep a couple hours later. Oikawa watched with a sad smile. They knew that the likelihood they would both leave the Feast alive was slim, but this is what the gamemakers wanted. And if one died, the other wouldn't have to stress about killing them.

Iwaizumi was woken up before the sun rose. They quickly ate fish, put away their sleeping bags, and refilled their water bottles before setting off. Iwaizumi's leg had nearly completely healed and it didn't hurt when he walked. They made their was quickly through the forest, leaving the river behind them. Luckily, they didn't encounter another tribute.

As Iwaizumi calculated, they walked in a straight line until they reached the Cornucopia. They found a covered area beside the clearing and quickly hid. From where they were, they could see the side of the Cornucopia and could see a little bit of the entrance.

There were already people there, looking through the backpacks. Iwaizumi recognized them all as the Careers. There were two who seemed to have joined. Luckily, one wasn't the guy from District 11. One was the female from District 1, who Iwaizumi remembered the name of. Her name was Alisa and she was a foreigner, which was rare in the districts. The other was the male from District 12. Someone from District 12 joining the Careers was unheard of. Iwaizumi wondered how this guy was able to convince them to join without getting his head ripped off.

"There's eight of them." Oikawa whispered from next to him. "There's no way we can get past them all."

Iwaizumi nodded grimly. There were usually around six Careers in the Games. This was very unusual, and it was going to be harder for them.

Iwaizumi tried to think of how to get to the Cornucopia. The Careers were in front of the entrance, near their backpacks. It didn't seem that they had grabbed another backpack besides their own, but Iwaizumi knew that that could change. The other backpacks remained, suggesting that the Careers were the first ones here. The best bet for them was to distract them so they didn't have to fight, as an eight versus two match wouldn't go over well for them. Even if they wanted to fight, the only long-ranged weapons they had were the two throwing knives, which neither of them knew how to use.

His eyes focused on one of the tributes, the male from District 1, Suguru Daishou. He had an arm wrapped around the female from District 4. How stupid. Only one of them could survive. Why would anyone in the Games start dating? He looked at Oikawa. Then again…

Oikawa grabbed his arm, staring at fear at something behind them. Iwaizumi turned. There, crouched in the shade, watching them, was the male from District 11. He seemed larger than before.

The three remained still, staring at each other, until finally District 11 moved. He approached, but didn't pull out a weapon. He probably didn't need one anyway.

The grip on Iwaizumi's arm tightened. Iwaizumi considered running, but they would get spotted by the Careers if they did that. The only saving grace was that District 11 probably wasn't a Career, as he would've alerted the others if he were. Iwaizumi took out his knife. He wouldn't be able to use the axe without giving their position away.

A few feet away from them, District 11 stopped. "I don't want to hurt you." He whispered.

Iwaizumi didn't believe him at all, but decided to play along. Maybe there would be an opening to strike. "Why wouldn't you?" He whispered back.

"I want to kill them." He responded, gesturing to the Careers behind them. "They've been a pain in my side." He lifted his shirt to reveal a large scar on his side.

"I don't like him." Oikawa whispered behind Iwaizumi, quieter so District 11 couldn't hear him.

Iwaizumi nodded. District 11 looked at them curiously.

"Who are you?" Iwaizumi asked.

"Wakatoshi Ushijima."

Oikawa gasped. "I know an Ushijima. Wasn't his dad a victor?"

Iwaizumi nodded. The son of a victor going into the games. He must've been trained for this. Did he volunteer?

"Did your dad train you? What are you planning?"

Ushijima shook his head. "My father didn't want his children to be in the Games. He killed himself after I was reaped."

Oikawa gasped. Iwaizumi grit his teeth. Ushijima seemed genuine, but he wasn't sure whether to trust him or not.

Ushijima sighed, knowing the other two wouldn't trust him. "I'm not asking for your cooperation. I just wanted to let you know-" He approached them and squatted next to them. He pointed at the other side of the Cornucopia. "-I'm going to lead them there. The moment they follow, you should run in and get your stuff."

Iwaizumi and Oikawa watched the Careers as they went through their stuff.

"You're going to take on eight of them?" Oikawa asked.

"I can surprise them and pick them off." Ushijima nodded.

The three fell in silence once more. Finally Iwaizumi nodded.

"Fine."

Ushijima also nodded in understanding. "I wish you luck." He made a move to stand, but Oikawa stopped him.

"Here." Oikawa said, holding out his two throwing knives. "We can't use these, but maybe you can."

Ushijima accepted them with a nod. "I trained with every weapon. I'll make good use of these. Thank you."

He picked one and fiddled with it, checking it out. Finally, he nodded. "I hope we don't see each other ever again."

He crept out of the cover and walked a distance away before turning over to the Careers. He observed them before finding a target. He took out a knife and threw. The blade struck the girl who was with Daishou in the neck. A canon sounded instantly.

The Careers were on their feet in an instant. Suguru stayed where he was, holding onto the lifeless body.

"Mika!?"

He eyes shot upwards to where Ushijima was waiting. The Careers had their weapons drawn, but they were waiting for the signal. At least they knew who the leader was.

It seemed that Ushijima also figured it out when he addressed him specifically. "You have no right to live. I will be the victor."

Daishou was on his feet, Mika's body thudding onto the floor, forgotten. He grabbed a sword from one of the Career's hands. He cursed under his breath and charged Ushijima. 

Ushijima was expecting it and he sidestepped away from the blade. He turned slightly away and ran to the other side of the Cornucopia, away from Iwaizumi's view.

"Now's the time to go." Oikawa whispered. He pulled Iwaizumi out of the shade and they quickly made their way to the Cornucopia. Oikawa went to the far end of the table and collected his backpack. Iwaizumi found his near the middle.

There was a loud clash of metal on metal from to the left.

"We better go." Oikawa said.

Iwaizumi nodded and turned back to the backpack. He froze. Now that his eyes were used to the darkened interior of the Cornucopia, he was able to see a figure standing there, watching them with wide, golden eyes. Iwaizumi recognized him as the Career from District 12. Looking at his eyes made him remember his name; Kotaro Bokuto. It seemed that while everyone was distracted with Ushijima, Bokuto had run inside the Cornucopia to take cover.

Bokuto grinned when he saw Iwaizumi looking at him. "And who are you?" He asked.

Iwaizumi gripped his axe. "What does it matter to you?" He growled. He glanced at Oikawa, who had his backpack slung over his shoulder and the spear, ready to attack.

Bokuto lightly shook his head. "I guess it doesn't."

Iwaizumi went over his options. He had yet to grab his backpack, but he knew that Bokuto was out for blood. No Career left a tribute alive. Bokuto had two weapons- a sword in one hand and a sickle in the other. If he wanted to get himself and Oikawa out safely, he would have to disarm or kill Bokuto. Either way, it was a fight.

He made eye contact with Oikawa. He was waiting in fighting position for Iwaizumi to act. Iwaizumi looked back down at his backpack lying on the table, then back at Oikawa, questioning. Oikawa nodded.

Hopefully they were on the same page.

"Oikawa, run!" Iwaizumi yelled, grabbing his backpack and throwing it at Oikawa.

Oikawa caught the bag easily, turned, then ran.

As expected, the sudden sound and movement caused Bokuto to act. He flew at Iwaizumi, sword arm raised. When the bag was thrown, his eyes followed the movement, then locked onto Oikawa. In an instant, his body changed directions, this time to Oikawa. He launched himself over the table effortlessly.

Iwaizumi grit his teeth and ran. He got between Bokuto and Oikawa right as Bokuto swung his sword downwards. Luckily, Iwaizumi had time to bring his axe up to shield them both. Bokuto froze as his blade hit the metal handle of the axe rather than flesh. He quickly recovered and swung the sickle, but Iwaizumi had already jumped away. Oikawa had already reached the tree line.

Bokuto growled. "Sneaky. But I'm not letting you get away."

Bokuto swung the sword again, which Iwaizumi blocked. But he wasn't able to block the sickle and just barely managed to sidestep away from it.

Iwaizumi backed away, leaving room between them. Bokuto clearly had the upper hand. Two weapons meant he could go on the offensive and defensive. Iwaizumi had to choose one or the other. But if Iwaizumi got hurt, it didn't guarantee a victory, especially if one of the other Careers joined them.

But Bokuto was clearly acting on instinct. If Iwaizumi was able to disrupt it, or at least disorient him, he might be able to disarm him at the very least.

He backed up and was now in the sun. A plan formed in his mind. It was childish, but it might work. But he needed Bokuto near the Cornucopia.

He ran around Bokuto in a large semi-circle with enough distance so Bokuto couldn't reach. They had switched sides, but it didn't seem to matter. Bokuto kept advancing, swinging his weapons. Iwaizumi kept dodging, careful not to get caught. One misstep and it was all over. The entire time, he kept backing up until his back hit the wall of the Cornucopia.

Bokuto grinned. He swung both his sword and his sickle to the side. Iwaizumi ducked and ran under his arms, pulling out his knife from his belt in the process. He ran until he was back in the sun.

Bokuto turned around. "How anno-"

Iwaizumi flashed the blade and the sunlight reflected directly into Bokuto's eyes. Bokuto took a step back. One arm lowered at his side while the other shielded his eyes. Being in the dark for so long had made his eyes too used to it and the sudden sunlight seemed to work better than Iwaizumi managed.

He dropped the knife and raced back to where Bokuto was, both arms grabbing the axe's handle. Once he was close enough, he swung.

The sound of a blade ripping through flesh sounded, quickly followed by the sound of the blade hitting metal and a thud. A moment passed before all sounds were replaced with Bokuto screaming in agony.

Both he and Iwaizumi took a step back. Bokuto fell backwards onto his ass. He clutched at his arm, or the sump that remained. Iwaizumi glanced down where they had been standing and found the sickle and the rest of Bokuto's arm lying on the grass.

Bokuto was back on his feet and had swung before Iwaizumi was able to process anything. Luckily, the pain must've been too strong, as he missed and Iwaizumi was able to sidestep out of the way.

It was clear Bokuto wasn't done fighting, even if too much blood was flowing from his wound. It seemed that their fight wasn't over yet. At least they were now on even footing.

Bokuto swung again, and Iwaizumi countered with a swing of his own. The weapons clashed in the middle.

Even with one arm missing, Bokuto was still a strong opponent. He still had to think his way out of this fight. The same trick wouldn't work again. He wished he had aimed higher. He felt the pain in his leg. But he couldn't stop, he had to win.

As they continued fighting, Iwaizumi noticed that Bokuto's movements were getting sluggish. Maybe he could overpower him after all. Or maybe some type of maneuver. 

Bokuto let out a gasp of air, steeled himself, then swung. Maybe it was some sort of desperate last move, but his movements were full of holes. Iwaizumi ducked under the blade, then swung his axe upwards.

The axe caught Bokuto's elbow and embedded itself in it. The blade cut through about half of his arm before stopping, not enough momentum to cut through.

Bokuto fell onto his knees. Iwaizumi took the axe out of his arm. Bokuto struggled to get up, but ended up falling against the wall of the Cornucopia.

Iwaizumi also fell onto his knees, panting heavily. He used the axe to support himself up. He started to feel the sting of the cuts that were littered across his arms.

"Please." Bokuto said weakly. "In my backpack. The front pocket."

Iwaizumi looked and saw a backpack that was discarded on the floor. He picked it up and opened the front pocket. Inside was a picture of Bokuto and another man. Bokuto had his arm wrapped around the other guy, a giant grin on his face. The other had a shy smile.

He went back over to Bokuto. He showed him the picture. "Is this it?"

A tear ran down Bokuto's face. "Yes." His voice was raspy and started to fade. "Can you give it to me?"

Iwaizumi placed the photo on Bokuto's chest, right above his heart. Bokuto closed his eyes, a smile on his face and tears wetting his cheeks.

A canon sounded, which was quickly followed by another one. Iwaizumi remembered the battle going on outside. He quickly collected his knife and Bokuto's backpack and turned the corner.

He came face to face with Daishou, who was holding Oikawa with a knife to his throat. Iwaizumi froze.

Daishou grinned. "Oh, of course. There's three of you. How wonderful. I thought I would only be able to cut open two people today."

Iwaizumi had no time to process those words before the knife was dragged across Oikawa's throat. A canon sounded as Oikawa fell to the floor.

Daishou was about to say something else when an axe embedded itself in his neck. Iwaizumi had swung higher this time, but the axe was too dull to cut through.

He fell to his knees and Iwaizumi held him up with the axe. He watched the life fade from Daishou's eyes. He took the knife out and let him fall.

He rushed to Oikawa's side. This felt too familiar to him. "Oikawa?"

Oikawa was still alive. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a gurgle.

"Why did you come back? I told you to run." Iwaizumi didn't care about the tears anymore. Too much had happened.

Oikawa smiled through the pain. He pointed at Iwaizumi, then behind him at Ushijima, who was bleeding out in the grass.

Iwaizumi cradled him, watching as the hovercrafts started to collect the dead bodies. He heard one behind him, most likely collecting Bokuto. A different Career, Alisa, was next, her silver hair billowing as she was lifted into the sky. Daishou was next, which Iwaizumi looked away from.

Another canon sounded.

He looked over where the battle had occurred and saw that the older sister from District 2 was still alive. She was bent over the body of her brother. 

"Ryu!" She cried, ignoring the fact that she was about to go. "Ryu!"

She fell still, grasping the body of her brother as another canon sounded.

It seemed that two of the Careers had run away. District 3 and District 4, Kenma and Kuroo. Iwaizumi made a mental note to hunt them down.

Iwaizumi looked down once more at Oikawa, who was dragging a finger over Iwaizumi's face. The arm fell as they locked eyes. 

Finally, Oikawa closed his eyes with a smile. The final canon sounded.

By the time Iwaizumi got up, the sun was setting and the three bodies of the siblings and Ushijima were gone. He went around the battlefield, grabbing any useful items. When he returned to where Oikawa was, the body was gone.

He sighed, defeated, and headed back into the woods. On his way, he checked back into the covered area where he and Oikawa had hidden. There were three backpacks there. He grabbed all three.

He walked through the night until he reached the pond. He sat by the water's edge, feeling the cold seep into his body. He looked at his reflection and saw blood smeared on his face. He looked closer and noticed that it was in the shape of a heart.

He looked at it for a brief moment before washing it off.

He set up a fire, not caring if he was found.

He was curious about the special item in Oikawa's backpack, but he left it be. It didn't matter anymore what Oikawa held close to him.

He reached into his own pack and pulled out a photograph. It was of his siblings back home, covered in dust but with a smile on their faces. It was an old photo. Their mother was still there.

Iwaizumi curled into a sleeping bag and fell asleep, sobs racking his body.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this was going to be longer, but then remembered it was just a oneshot, so now I have a character list of all 24 people who are in the Games. If I ever get Haikyuu and Hunger Games AU in the future, I'll just put them in the Hunger Games simulator and write a quick oneshot of some of the major events.


End file.
